by
Chasity Roberts, Graduate Studies and Research
|
September 16, 2011

The
Raft Debate, a much beloved William & Mary tradition, will be held at the
Commonwealth Auditorium in the Sadler Center, on Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m.

The three survivors of an imaginary shipwreck
-- a scientist, a social scientist, and a humanist -- achieve a delicate
balance between comedy and lecture as they debate the value of their respective
discipline for the rest of humanity.

Only one of these professors can return to
civilization in the life raft. A fourth faculty member, a devil’s advocate,
joins the survivors and argues sarcastically that none of the academic
disciplines are worth saving. The winner of the debate is chosen by a judge
based on audience reaction. Join the excitement as the professors cajole,
plead, pontificate, and resort shamelessly to props and costumes until the
final, lone survivor is decided.

This
year’s survivors representing their disciplines and the fate of humanity are:

Humanities: Boyd Distinguished
Associate Professor of Classical StudiesVassiliki Panoussi. Panoussi’s
research focuses on Roman Literature as informed through the study of
intertextuality, cultural anthropology, religion, and gender. Her book, “Greek
Tragedy in Vergil’s Aeneid: Ritual, Empire, and Intertext,” was published in
2009 by Cambridge University Press. She is currently at work on another book
project titled: “Brides, Mourners, Bacchae: Women’s Rituals in Roman Literature.”
At W&M she has taught courses in Greek, Latin, and Classical Civilization
at all levels. One of her favorite past-times is reading the Harry Potter books
and helping students identify classical motifs therein.

Social sciences: Associate Professor of
HistoryAndrew Fisher. Fisher teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on the
history of the modern United States, Native Americans, and the American West. He
is also involved with the environmental science and policy program and the committee
on sustainability. He is the author of “Shadow Tribe: The Making of Columbia
River Indian Identity” and a dozen essays and articles on various topics in
American Indian, Western, and environmental history. His articles have won
numerous awards, and he was voted one of the professors most likely to have a
tattoo (he doesn't) at Arizona State University.

Natural
and computational sciences:Mathematics Professor Larry Leemis. Leemis teaches
classes in operations research, probability, and statistics. His research is in
the area of reliability, simulation, and computational probability. He has authored
or co-authored five books, most recently “Computational Probability: Algorithms
and Applications in the Mathematical Sciences” (2008) and “Probability” (2011),
and has published articles in numerous scientific journals. Leemis has received
research funding from several granting agencies and was a 2010 recipient of the
Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence.

The devil's advocate will be played by
Associate Professor of EducationPamela Eddy. Eddy teaches courses on
policy, organization and governance, finance, and community colleges.
Most recently, she has authored “Community
College Leadership: A Multidimensional Model for Leading Change” (2010)
and “Partnerships and Collaborations
in Higher Education” (2010). Her research focuses on leadership,
organizational management (both in the U.S. and internationally), and faculty
development. She was a 2009 Fulbright Scholar in Ireland and a 2011
recipient of the Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence.

The judge will be played by Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Laurie
Sanderson.

The Raft Debate,
sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, the Graduate Center,
and the A&S Graduate Student Association, is free and open to the public. A
reception will follow in the Tidewater A of the Sadler Center.